One of our Own
by falafel-fiction
Summary: An AU story based around ‘The Long Con’. After Locke witnesses Charlie’s attack on Sun, the camp leaders – Locke, Jack and Sayid – must decide what is to be done about him.
1. Chapter 1

One of our own

**Characters:** Charlie, Locke, Sawyer, Jack, Hurley and Sayid.

**Summary:** AU story based around 'The Long Con'. After Locke witnesses Charlie's attack on Sun, the camp leaders – Locke, Jack and Sayid – must decide what is to be done with him.

**Author's Note: **This story is in part a study of Charlie's differing relationships with Locke, Jack and Sayid. As such the story will be told in three parts. The first chapter concerns Charlie's relationship with Locke. I think Charlie and Locke were drawn to each other in their mutual need for a pupil/mentor relationship. I feel the breakdown in trust between them (on both sides of the relationship) was intensified by their past grievances. Charlie was screwed over by an older brother in the past and then latches onto an older man on the island. Locke was screwed over by a young friend and then latches onto a younger man on the island. Then history repeats itself. I think Locke and Charlie are feeling the same sort of betrayal.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Lost…hence why Ep.13 of S2 doesn't play out like this.

Chapter 1: John Locke

Locke watched from behind the bushes that ran alongside Sun's garden. Charlie was crouching in the undergrowth at a distance from the Korean woman, who was calmly tending to her plants. Locke had followed him here from the beach. Along the way he had noticed that Charlie was nervously twisting a piece of black cloth in his hands, looking like a man on a mission.

After guessing what Charlie was up to Locke had considered calling out a warning to Sun, but he had found that he was curious to see whether Charlie would actually go through with it or not. Locke had lost much of the affection he had felt towards the young musician in the early days, but he was still fascinated by Charlie. After their confrontation on the beach, Locke had been half-expecting him to retaliate in some way…but he never could have predicted this.

As he watched, Locke remembered the time he had crept up on Sayid and knocked him unconscious. He had no idea of Charlie's motive for targeting Sun, but he was aware of the trickiness of his situation. He had to approach his quarry ever so slowly and ever so quietly. The slightest misstep and Sun would turn and look into the face of her attacker. If Sayid hadn't been so caught up in his excitement over the French transmission, Locke mightn't have been so lucky.

Locke saw Charlie visibly flinch and almost cry out as Vincent came bounding into the garden. He sank down very low in the grass – probably praying the dog wouldn't pick up his scent and give him away. Fortunately for him, Vincent didn't stay long, but hurried away on the path to the beach.

The dog seemed to have shaken Charlie's nerves. For a moment Locke thought he might give up altogether and slip back into the jungle. Then suddenly the rain came. The garden was filled with the sound of water slapping against leaves. Enough noise to cover his footfalls. Taking his chance, Charlie rose to his feet and advanced on Sun. He whipped the black hood over her head. Sun gasped and raised her hands up to her face, which Charlie sloppily tied with a length of ragged cord. Clasping her upper arms he dragged the slender woman through the grass. Then he did the strangest thing. He let her go and darted behind a tree.

Sun was immediately on her feet, shaking the cord from her hands and tearing off her hood. Without looking back, she fled towards the beach.

Charlie emerged from behind the tree, wide-eyed and gasping. He came to a halt on the edge of Sun's garden and stood staring over her trampled plants. Locke decided it was time to show young Mr Pace exactly how to sneak up on someone. He slipped quickly and quietly through the bushes, stepping lightly over the undergrowth. Charlie didn't begin to turn until Locke was in reaching distance. Catching him off-guard, Locke shoved him to the ground. Charlie lay sprawling on his back, staring up at Locke in fear and astonishment.

"You didn't think I'd taken my eye off you, did you Charlie?"

Locke stood over him for a moment, their eyes locked together. Then he stooped to retrieve the cord that had fallen from Sun's hands. He straddled Charlie, seized his wrists and started binding them together.

"Get off me!" Charlie screamed in a panic.

Locke slapped him. Just a slap this time, not a punch. Yet it seemed to serve as a sharp reminder because Charlie ceased to struggle and protest. Locke tied his hands securely and was about to haul him to his feet when he heard someone approaching. Locke looked up to see Sawyer running out of the jungle. The Southerner halted, surveying the scene that lay before him.

Locke frowned. "What are you doing here, James?"

Sawyer took a moment to answer.

"I came looking for whichever of those evil-eyed natives it was that jumped Sun. What are you doing trussing up one of our own?"

Locke stood and planted his foot on his captive's hip to keep him from moving. "Charlie was the one who attacked her."

Sawyer's eyes flicked to Charlie. He snorted. "The hell he did! You sure your old eyes aren't playing tricks on you, Gramps?"

"I've got better eyesight than you, James," Locke reminded him. "I saw it all from the bushes. He snuck up behind her, put a hood over her head, tied her hands and dragged her away through the grass."

Sawyer raised his eyebrows and whistled.

"Damn! I guess that's one up from stealing babies in the night. I can't say I know what's gotten into him lately. Still, you best untie him before Jackie Chan arrives to scatter his limbs around the jungle."

Locke felt Charlie squirming at the mention of Jin. Not only with fear it seemed, but with a sudden rush of remorse. This attack on Sun clearly wasn't something Charlie had spent a long time thinking over.

"I'd say Jin has every right to be angry," said Locke.

"Sure he does!" Sawyer agreed. "I'm just not advocating for bare-fisted murder here. At least give him a chance to run for it."

"I'm not letting Charlie go until I find out why he did this."

Sawyer rolled his eyes, impatiently.

"He didn't do it for any reason!" he insisted. "The boy's gone nuts. He ain't the first and he won't be the last. Did you never consider that pounding him into sand in front of everybody might have tipped him over the edge? Why don't you go easy on him? Take him to the hatch to settle down. Give him a shot of his jolly juice and I'm sure he'll be nice and docile for you."

Locke looked down at Charlie. His captive had stilled like a trapped animal who knows that it cannot escape. He seemed to be waiting for them to decide his fate. His head was turned towards Sawyer. He was frowning at the man. Locke wasn't sure if Charlie was scowling at the remarks made about his sanity or whether he was simply confused that Sawyer of all people was standing here in the rain pleading his case. Locke was rather suspicious himself.

"It's not like you to be so compassionate," he questioned.

Sawyer smiled, disarmingly. "Hell! Maybe I've got a soft spot for the guy. What's that tune he always plays? 'You all Anybodies?' Man, that's catchy. Some days I just can't stop myself from humming it."

"This isn't the time, James," said Locke, cutting through the sarcasm. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let Jin find him here."

"All righty, how about this. Maybe you'd like to think we're all living in fear of the mental midget here…truth is we ain't losing too much sleep over him. At the end of the day, Charlie's one of the little people in this camp. He ain't armed and he sure can't fight worth a damn. They ain't scared of him. But if the island authorities start sharpening up their spears for him, well…I reckon that'll get them scared. Maybe they'll start thinking that if anyone steps out of line then the higher orders are gonna come crashing down on them too. And they aren't gonna like that one bit. It only takes a few nervous whispers and you and Sgt Jackass could have yourselves a civil uprising on your hands."

Locke sighed. Sawyer was a slippery character, but he spoke sense at times. Locke imagined that he was right in his prediction.

"I'll take him to the hatch," he decided.

Sawyer nodded, seeming pleased with himself.

"Looks I saved your skin, Amigo!" Sawyer bragged to Charlie. "Don't forget this in a hurry, you hear? You owe me one."

"I won't forget…" Charlie muttered.

Locke hauled Charlie to his feet and began marching him through the jungle. He quickly put Sawyer's interference out of his mind. Right now Locke was focusing on keeping his anger restrained. His thoughts were consumed by memories of Eddie; the young man he had taken under his wing and who had ended up betraying his trust. He remembered that day in the forest when he had levelled a shotgun at Eddie's head and come close to pulling the trigger. Once again he was alone in the woods with another young man who had let him down.

Charlie was the first person Locke had bonded with on the island. Personally Locke felt like their connection had started before then…he thought it started the first time listened to his Driveshaft CDs. Music appreciation had been an important escape for him during his wheelchair-bound years. Locke had always considered Driveshaft to be an underrated band and he knew Charlie was their chief songwriter. When Locke had met Charlie he thought it was his destiny to help him with his drug problem, just like Charlie's music had once helped him.

Now Locke was no longer sure he believed in destiny. And as for Charlie…he had thrown his help back in his face. Locke was through with helping him.

_To be continued… _


	2. Chapter 2

One of our own

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to clarify that for the purposes of this story, Sun does not hit her head when fleeing from Charlie. I think if Sun had been hurt Jack wouldn't have stayed in the hatch and I needed him to come to a resolution about Charlie. This chapter explores their relationship. I have noticed that Jack as a leader is rather biased towards the different people in his group. For example when Sawyer does something wrong Jack will let him be tied to a tree and tortured. When Locke does something wrong he will stand by while Shannon threatens to blow his head off. When Charlie does something wrong all he gets is a patronising lecture. I would say that Charlie is one of Jack's favourites – but then again, so is Sun (judging by Jack's tame response to her poisoning of Michael). Considering the warning that Jack gave Charlie at the end of 'Fire + Water' I imagine that Jack would be in a very awkward position if he knew what Charlie had done to Sun.

Many thanks to pacejunkie who gave me some excellent advice on this chapter – she being a much better judge of Jack than I am!

Chapter 2: Jack Sheppard 

Jack sat reading in the hatch while he waited for the alarm to sound. Actually he wasn't really reading. His eyes were skimming over the pages before him while his mind turned over ideas for the army…the army that he and Ana Lucia were going to put together. There was so much to think about that he couldn't concentrate on his book. Besides, the novels that lined the hatch shelves tended to be surrealist works and Jack had never been a great fan of absurdity.

His reading pretence was interrupted by a sudden drum of footsteps. Jack raised his head to see Locke and Charlie walking in from the corridor. He couldn't believe his eyes. Charlie was covered in mud and his clothes were drenched. Beneath the mud his skin looked dreadfully pale and he was shivering uncontrollably. Most alarmingly of all Charlie's hands were bound in front of him and Locke was clutching at his upper arms like a prison warden.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Jack exclaimed.

"Why don't you tell him, Charlie?"

As he uttered these words, Locke shoved Charlie towards the kitchen counter. The edge of it slammed into Charlie's midriff, knocking the wind out of him. Jack was appalled. He knew that there had been feuding between these two lately and he knew that Charlie in particular had been behaving erratically...but this was going too far. They weren't savages (not yet). Jack rose from his seat and stepped between Charlie and Locke, his protective instincts telling him to shield the smaller man.

"I think you're the one who needs to explain, John."

Locke shrugged, untroubled by Jack's aggression towards him. "Alright. Just a few moments ago I was walking through the jungle when I heard the sound of a woman screaming. The screams were coming from Sun's garden. When I arrived on the scene I saw Charlie dragging Sun away through the grass. She had a hood over her head and her hands were tied. It seemed to me like he was trying to kidnap her or at least scare her into_ thinking_ she was being kidnapped. A few seconds later he turned her loose and she ran off towards the beach."

Jack shook his head in confusion.

"What?!" he spluttered. "Is this some kind of joke? You're not making any sense, John. Why would Charlie attack Sun?"

"I don't understand it either, Jack," said Locke. "But I can assure you that this is not a joke. I saw the whole thing."

Jack turned his attention to Charlie. The young musician had backed away from the counter and was currently skulking in a corner, looking like a schoolboy in detention hall. It occurred to Jack that Charlie wasn't making any effort to deny Locke's claims…and it wouldn't be like Charlie to keep his mouth shut if somebody were levelling false accusations at him.

"Sit down!" Jack ordered.

Charlie shuffled over to the dining booth and took at seat, keeping his stare downcast. Jack marched over and placed his palms flat upon the table top.

"Look at me!" Jack snapped. "Is it true what Locke is saying?"

Charlie failed to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Jack…" he murmured, faintly.

Jack froze, his blood running cold. He could feel his own pulse throbbing in his veins. He felt himself smiling against his fury.

"Charlie…just yesterdayI came to check up on you. I stitched that cut on your cheek and I talked to you when no one else would. Did I yell at you, Charlie? Did I grill you over what you had done? All I asked for was your word that you wouldn't pull another stunt like the fire. And now…just two days later…"

Losing the battle with his temper, Jack grabbed Charlie by the front of his sweatshirt and hauled him onto his feet. Charlie was forced onto his tiptoes as Jack pulled his face up very close to his own.

"This is how you repay me!" Jack railed, shaking him roughly. "Charlie, you looked me in the eye and you promised me! What am I suppose to do now, huh? Tell me!"

Jack fell silent for a moment. Charlie's head was lolling to one side of his neck and his eyeballs were rolling around in their sockets.

"Charlie…?" he asked, hesitantly.

Jack loosened his hold a little and Charlie crumpled to the floor in a faint. Jack's anger was dissolved in an instant. He became the doctor again, kneeling by his side, checking his pulse and placing a hand on his forehead. Charlie had a slight fever, but nothing like the cold sweats of his withdrawal in the first few weeks. Jack noted that he was looking very pale and pinched.

"Is it the drugs?" asked Locke, crouching by Jack's side.

"No John, it's not." Jack stated, bluntly. "_This_ is nervous exhaustion. From the looks of things he hasn't slept or eaten much lately…I think this rope might be cutting off his blood circulation…"

Jack stooped to untie his wrists, but before he could do so he heard a voice yelling to him from the entrance of the hatch.

"Jack! Dude, we need your help!"

Jack and Locke looked at each other. They were just seconds away from Hurley walking in to find his old buddy Charlie tied up and passed out on the floor. That was not something either of them wish Hurley to see.

"Store room!" Jack hissed under his breath.

Locke lifted Charlie in his arms and carried him towards the empty pantry as Jack rushed into the corridor to intercept Hurley. He found him leaning against the wall, his face flushing as he recovered his breath.

"Jack, dude…" Hurley began, wheezing. "You better come quick. Sun has just been attacked in her garden. Everyone is freaking out on the beach. That Ana Lucia chick is saying that the Others are back…"

"Is Sun okay?" Jack interrupted. "Is she hurt?"

"Err…I don't think so. She might have a few scrapes. Mostly she's just shook up. And Jin is on the rampage, man."

Jack nodded. "Okay Hurley, I want you to go back to the beach and tell everyone to stay calm. Tell them I'll be along in a minute. I've just got to take care of something here…something important."

"More important than this?!" Hurley asked, incredulously. "Dude if you need to push the stupid button, I can stay and do it."

"No Hurley, it's not that…" He struggled for an explanation. "Trust me, okay? It's not something I want you to be dealing with."

"Oh, I get it." Hurley rolled his eyes. "I can take a hint. I guess if I'm lucky you'll send me the memo later…"

Hurley trudged out of the hatch, muttering under his breath in his irritation at being left out of the loop. Once he was gone, Jack hurried back to the main chamber. He found Locke securing the door to the store room. Presumably Charlie was locked inside. _That settles things for now_, thought Jack, but he knew they couldn't hide him there forever. Something had to be done.

"Did Hugo suspect anything?" asked Locke.

"He knows something is going on," said Jack. "But he doesn't know what it is and I don't think he'll guess. Not in a million years."

"That's good. We should deal with this matter discreetly. We don't want people to get the wrong idea and think we are turning against each other."

Jack sat down rubbing his temples.

"Listen, I think we ought to have some understanding here. I think we've forgotten that only last month Charlie was kidnapped and hung from a tree by his neck. You didn't see what they did to him, John. He was a walking shell afterwards. In the real world, if a person went through a trauma like that they'd be in therapy for months following their ordeal."

Locke raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"So you're letting him off the hook? He stole Claire's baby. He endangered the camp by setting that fire and now he's attacked Sun. In the real world he would be in police custody on charges of arson and attempted kidnapping."

"He's not in his right mind," Jack objected. "Come on…we've both known Charlie since our first days on this island. Back then he was just this sweet needy guy always looking to be helpful."

Locke sighed, wearily. "You treat him like a child, Jack. Is it because he was once patient of yours that you feel this need to protect him? Because he is someone whose life you've saved?"

"He saved me too one time," Jack pointed out. "I can't forget that."

"Which time was that, Jack? When he rescued you from the cave in or when he started breathing for you again?"

Jack scowled. "Would you mind not psycho-analysing me for a minute, John? I'm not the issue here. It's Charlie we need to worry about."

"Right. So what do you propose we do?"

"What if we asked Libby to talk to him? Hurley told me she's a psychiatrist. She might be able to help to him."

"So he's just attacked a woman and now you want to send another woman in there to see him?" Locke shook his head, dismissively. "I think we both know this matter has gone beyond counselling sessions."

"Well, someone has to talk to him, John. You and I can't get through to him."

Locke considered for a moment and then looked Jack firmly in the eye. "What if we asked Sayid to…talk with him?"

Jack frowned. Was Locke suggesting what he thought he was suggesting?

"John…I know that you and Charlie have been having problems lately, but if you're looking to punish him by getting Sayid to…"

"It's not like that," Locke cut in. "Sayid is our best chance of getting the truth out of Charlie. He doesn't have to use torture. He's a skilled interrogator. At the same time I believe that Charlie would be more willing to talk to Sayid than you or I. He was the one Charlie opened up to after he killed Ethan."

Jack nodded, seeing his point. He did not always agree with Sayid's methods, but he had to admit that this was his area of expertise. However he was still uncomfortable with the situation and struggled to give his consent. Jack had really warmed to Charlie in the early days. He was like the baby brother he never had. But since the night that Charlie had shot Ethan he had started to think of him as something of a loose cannon. He hadn't expected such an act from Charlie. His recklessness had made Jack nervous – made him wonder if maybe there was something darker lurking beneath his cheeky boyish appearance. Considering his most recent actions that darkness could no longer be ignored. Jack couldn't keep making allowances for Charlie…in the same way that he couldn't keep covering up for his father when his drinking was endangering their patients. In his heart, Jack was still fond of Charlie, but this time he had to be firm with him. No more second chances.

"Is that a 'yes' Jack?" asked Locke.

Jack swallowed. "Yes."

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

One of our Own

**Authors Note:** Of all the Lostie leaders, I have always like the way Sayid handles Charlie. He won't put up with any of his crap, but at the same time Sayid does not belittle and patronise Charlie like Jack and Locke do. I think Sayid has respect for Charlie. He is one of the few people who recognises Charlie's fierce need to protect Claire and Aaron. You can see this in the scene where Charlie shoots Ethan. Everyone else has their faces screwed up in shock and confusion, but Sayid is staring at Charlie with an expression of solemn understanding. Afterwards Sayid councils Charlie and utters one of the most intimate lines of the show; "You are not alone. Don't pretend to be." In all their scenes together I love that Sayid doesn't talk down to Charlie like most characters do. This last chapter was a joy to write – a meaty bit of interaction between my two favourite characters.

Chapter 3: Sayid Jarrah 

It was late in the day when word reached Sayid of the kidnap attempt on Sun. At first he had been consumed by vengeful desires. He had been pacing the sand, considering what should be done and forming vague strategies in his mind. Then he had been met by Jack and Locke, who had taken him aside and explained that it wasn't the Others who had attacked the Korean women in her garden. Sayid could hardly believe it when they named the real perpetrator.

It didn't make any sense. Charlie was one of the people who had been most victimised by the Others. Now he was pretending to be one of them? For what purpose? It all seemed terribly twisted. Sayid felt the same sick feeling in his stomach as he had upon learning that his old friend Essam had been drawn into a terrorist cell. And just like the American CIA agents, Jack and Locke were asking him to do something about it. Once again Sayid felt caught between a sense of friendship and a sense of duty. He was struggling to decide where his loyalties should lie.

Sayid was now standing in the main corridor of the hatch. Locke was at his side, motioning him towards the door of the store room.

"He's been in there for over an hour now," Locke explained. "I don't think he'll give you much trouble. But we can't let him out until we know why he did this. He's becoming a danger to the camp."

Sayid nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Is there anything you need?" asked Locke.

Sayid frowned, confused by the question. Locke's tone was so pleasant you would think he was offering him a cup of tea, but there was a hint of something darker in his voice. Something manipulative. Sayid remembered the day that Locke had given him one of his knives. How later that same knife had ended up buried in Sawyer's arm. Was Locke trying to force his hand again?

"I'm not sure what you mean, John," Sayid answered, dryly.

"Never mind," said Locke, dismissively. "I'll be out here manning the computer for the rest of the afternoon. Call me if you need me."

Sayid nodded acceptingly as Locke opened the pantry door and ushered him inside. The first thing Sayid did was reach for the light switch for the store room was in total darkness. As the bulb flickered to life, it revealed the metal shelves and wooden crates that crammed the tightly-walled pantry. Charlie was sitting on top of one of the larger boxes with his knees drawn up to his chest. He was grimacing with discomfort as he struggled against the rope binding his wrists together. As the light came on, Charlie raised his head and squinted at Sayid, his eyes stung by the brightness. After a moment, his face hardened and he went back to twisting his hands.

"It's been a while since we last talked," Sayid began, pleasantly. "I'm sorry that it is under these circumstances that we are speaking to each other again. I always enjoyed our chats, Charlie."

Sayid felt himself slipping into his old routine. At the beginning of an interrogation he would always speak softly. He found it lulled his subjects into a false sense of security and encouraged them to relax their tongues.

"I've been very withdrawn from the camp lately," Sayid went on. "I've found it necessary to focus on menial tasks in order to take my mind off things. I was not aware you were having problemsuntil recently."

Sayid winced over the word 'problems'. It was only four days ago that he had first learned that Charlie was a recovering heroin addict. They had been living separately (Charlie in the caves and Sayid at the beach) when the musician had gone through his initial withdrawal. It was only now that Sayid realised his mistake in leading Charlie by the Nigerian plane and informing him of its cargo. He felt like he had contributed to this downward spiral that Charlie was taking – and not only by revealing the drugs to him. Sayid had also confessed to Claire that Charlie knew about the contents of the statues. She had a right to know, of course, but it was partly because of his admission that Charlie had lost the person he loved most on the island.

"Locke told me what you did this morning," Sayid stated, bluntly, though his tone remained gentle and coaxing. "He also told me about the statues he took away from you. I thought at first that the heroin might explain your behaviour of late, but despite the abundant supply of your drug, Jack seems certain that you have not relapsed. I find that very curious indeed."

"Sayid…" said Charlie in a voice that was hollow and weary. "If you've come here to torture me then why don't you just get on with it? There's no need for all this small talk. Just go ahead…I deserve it..."

Sayid was taken aback by Charlie's abruptness and his lack of concern for himself. At the same time he felt ashamed to be so readily associated with the act of torture. But then he supposed he only had himself to blame for that.

"You seriously believe I would torture you, Charlie?"

Charlie shrugged. "You tortured Sawyer."

Sayid had to confess it was always a temptation to use torture in situations like this. Such methods were admittedly brutal, but regularly effective. But still the prospect of torturing Charlie unnerved him. Only a few weeks ago, Charlie had allowed Sayid to pour gunpowder into a bleeding gash on his forehead and set it alight in order to close the wound. Sayid had held him down as he writhed in agony, but he had been shocked at how quickly Charlie had recovered himself. In less than a minute he had shoved Sayid's hands away and climbed to his feet with a blazing look of determination in his eyes. It seemed the small wiry man had a high threshold for pain. Sayid imagined he would hold out much longer than Sawyer.

He forced these thoughts to the back of his mind. He reminded himself that there were other ways a good interrogator might break down a person's barriers. It could be said that those ways were the more painful.

"Sawyer taught me a valuable lesson," Sayid replied after a pause. "He taught me that torture tends to be ineffective when it is used on someone who _wants_ to be punished. I don't make the same mistake twice."

"Well, if you're not here to torture me then why did they send you in?"

"Charlie, I am not a hired thug! Nor am I taking orders from Jack and Locke."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure about that, Sayid? Seems like they've got everyone under their thumb these days. Don't you see it? They've taken over. They treat the rest of us like peasants…"

Sayid bit his tongue as he realised what Charlie was doing. He was trying to deflect from his own questioning. This was a familiar tactic. He predicted that Charlie would try to distract him by changing the subject, going off on tangents and stalling for time to avoid having to tell the truth.

"Is that what this is about, Charlie?" asked Sayid, shifting the focus back to him. "Are you trying to make yourself feel important?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't understand, Sayid…"

"Do not insult me. Understanding the complexities of human behaviour has always been an integral part of my profession. Pardon my immodesty, but it is something that I excel at. I always felt I understood you well, Charlie. But I do not understand what you did today. I'm asking you to explain."

"Look, I wasn't going to hurt her, okay?" he answered, sheepishly. "I wouldn't do that. I only wanted to scare her. That was all."

"So this was an attempt to frighten Sun and the rest of the camp into thinking that the Others were attacking us again? Is that correct?"

"Yes…but I only wanted to…"

Before Charlie could finish, Sayid grabbed him and threw him down on the pantry floor. Charlie yelped in alarm and struggled to roll over onto his back. He raised his bound wrists to his face. Sayid loomed over him. His muscles twitched with fury, yet he had no intention of beating Charlie. Pain was not compulsory. Interrogation is all in the voice, the timing and the sharp sense of danger. Sayid wanted to be sure he was getting the truth from Charlie. And besides he had his own reasons for being angry at him over what he had done.

"Do you see no harm in frightening people, Charlie?" Sayid did not allow him to answer, but proceed to bombard him. "You yourself have experienced this fear of being taken against your will. You've been abducted and dragged away through the jungle. Now you would inflict that same fear on Sun? You would make Jin fear for his wife's safety after all the fretting you did when Ethan took Claire? Now you would make a mockery of that fear?!"

Charlie squirmed as though Sayid's very words were needling him. Charlie rarely spoke about the ordeal he had suffered at the hands of Ethan. Most of the time people were considerate enough not to mention it to him. But Sayid wasn't holding back. He needed to impress upon Charlie what he had done.

"Do not underestimate fear, Charlie. It was fear of the Others that led to Ana Lucia opening fire on Shannon. An innocent young girl was shot dead and the only motive of her killer was fear. If you start using fear as a weapon then you are becoming like them, Charlie. You are becoming one of the worst things that I have ever encountered in this world. You are becoming a terrorist…I do not wish to see another one of my friends becoming a terrorist, Charlie…"

Sayid took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. His voice had become thick and strained at the mention of Shannon's death. An interrogator isn't meant to show his own emotions, yet the grief in his voice seemed to have a powerful effect on Charlie. It appeared to have shaken him to his very core.

"I…I'm so sorry, Sayid…" he stammered.

Sayid pulled Charlie off the floor and sat him with his back against the wall. He crouched by his side, his eyes burrowing into him.

"I'm not interested in your apologies, Charlie," he said. "I want to know why you attacked her. I want the truth."

"It wasn't anything personal against Sun!" he babbled. "I promise you! She was just part of the plan…it wouldn't have worked without her!"

Sayid eyed him critically. Charlie seemed to be far more compliant now, but he was still talking in excuses rather than confessions.

"What was the aim of this plan?" he probed.

Charlie frowned, his face twitching, as though he were contriving an explanation his mind. Sayid couldn't allow him to delay his answers. He grasped a clump of his blonde hair and yanked it roughly.

"Tell me!" he growled. "Tell me why you did it!"

Charlie gasped in fear and surprise. He answered hurriedly. "I wanted to get back at Locke, okay! I wanted him to look like a fool!"

"How does attacking Sun make Locke look like a fool?"

"I…I don't know…I can't remember…it was just part of the plan!!"

Charlie seemed genuinely confused. Sayid wondered why he couldn't comprehend the workings of his own plan. Then he realised.

"Charlie…did someone put you up to this?"

He flinched. "No! How could they? Nobody even speaks to me anymore! I did this all by myself. It was my idea! My plan!"

"A plan that you can no longer make sense of? You're lying to me."

"I'm not lying! If you'd just give me a minute…"

"Tell me whose plan it was, Charlie! Give me a name!"

"I'm not giving you anything!" Charlie yelled, defiantly. "It was my plan! I'm taking the blame for it. Nobody else."

Sayid knew that he was lying, but Charlie wasn't giving an inch. He decided to drop this line of questioning. With a little consideration, it was obvious whose plan it was. There was only one person in their camp who would conceive of a plan like this and would manipulate a desperate outcast into being his accomplice. Sayid wondered why Charlie was protecting Sawyer who by rights should be locked in this store room with him. But he decided to leave the matter for now.

"Why did you want revenge on Locke?"

Charlie's eyes filled with bitter tears. "Why do you think?"

"Because he hit you?" he ventured.

"Because he took them away from me!!"

"Took what away? The Virgin Mary statues?"

"NO!" he screamed, hysterically. "Claire…and Aaron." He could barely bring himself to speak their names. His voice was wracked with sobs. His face was creased with despair and exasperation.

"He…he turned her against me! He's got her thinking that I'm dangerous…that I'm gonna hurt the baby. I would NEVER do anything to hurt him! I thought that this was my test…I thought it was my destiny to…to _save_ him! Locke was the one who got me believing in those things! I thought he was my friend! He was the one who helped me to quit and now he…he doesn't even believe me when I tell him I'm not using. He's got Claire thinking the same thing. He's ruined everything for me! Claire and Aaron were all I cared about and he's taken them!"

Sayid loosened his hold on Charlie. Another thing that he had learned in his career as an interrogator was that once your subject begins to break down and speak the truth, it is better to offer them a little comfort. At this stage, comfort is more of an incentive to them than continued threats and intimidation. Sayid released his hair and laid his hand flat upon his head in a soothing gesture.

"It's so bloody easy for him!" said Charlie, weeping openly now. "Saint Locke! He's so perfect. He can go hunting for them, he can find them water, he can make cribs and he knows how to swaddle. He's got all those knives to protect them with! They don't need me anymore. They've got him. He's their bloody hero!"

Charlie's words were overtaken by his tears once again. Sayid sat back and allowed him to cry for a while. He felt he understood now why Charlie had lashed out. In truth he was relieved to find that his actions were borne out of his love for Claire and his resentment towards Locke for driving them apart. It could have been worse. If Charlie had done it for power or for drugs, Sayid would have felt less pity for him. In a dark corner of his mind (a part of himself that Sayid loathed) it occurred to him that if he ever did need to force information out of Charlie, threatening Claire would be the way to get it. He tried to banish such thoughts from his head.

Sayid turned back to Charlie, who was still sniffling and twitching as he sat huddled against the pantry wall. As his sobs died down, Sayid decided to offer the broken young man a little perspective.

"Charlie…in the week after we crashed on this island I was alone in the hills trying to find the source of the French woman's distress signal. A man crept up behind me and struck me a blow to the head. This man then destroyed all my equipment and left me bleeding and unconscious in the grass." He paused for a moment and then added; "I later discovered this man was John Locke."

Charlie lifted his head, blinking in astonishment. Sayid got the impression he might have just shattered his entire belief system.

"Bloody hypocrite!" Charlie exclaimed.

Sayid nodded, carefully resisting the urge to smile.

"Take this as a warning, Charlie. Locke is not to be trusted. But I ask that you keep this information to yourself. To his credit, Locke did confess this to me and we have settled the matter. I would strongly recommend that sometime soon you do the same thing with Sun. Take her aside and tell her all that you have told me. She is a gentle and compassionate woman. My guess is she will forgive you. Then maybe you can start to forgive yourself."

Sayid began to untie his hands. His movements were slow and delicate for he was aware that Charlie's skin was raw beneath the cord.

"You're…you're letting me go?" Charlie spluttered in amazement. It seemed that he had been preparing himself for a much longer period of incarceration. "You don't think I'm…mentally disturbed?"

Sayid shrugged. "No more so than the rest of us."

With his hands free, Charlie began rubbing the feeling back into his wrists. Sayid took hold of his elbow and raised him to his feet.

"So what happens now?" Charlie asked.

Sayid sighed. "I know it pains you to be without Claire and Aaron…but I think you must give her some space for now. You need to clear your head, Charlie. I'm building some new structures on the beach. It's helping to take my mind off what happened to Shannon. I think you might benefit from a similar distraction."

He nodded. "I guess this means you'll be keeping an eye on me, right?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," he admitted.

"Fair enough." Charlie actually smiled. "Thank you, Sayid..."

The Iraqi felt his heart clench inside his chest. It was the first time that he had ever heard those words at the end of an interrogation.

_The End._


End file.
